RESTRICTED  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/GC/M/99 
24 November 2005 
 (05-5601) 
General Council 
11 November 2005  
 
 
 
MINUTES OF MEETING 
 
Held in the Centre William Rappard  
on 11 November 2005  
 
Chairman:  Ms Amina Mohamed (Kenya) 
 
 
 Prior to the start of the meeting, the Chai rman expressed her sympathy and solidarity, on 
behalf of all delegations, to the representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan over the recent 
terrorist attacks in Amman, and through him to the Government and people of the Kingdom. 
 
Subject discussed : Accession of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Report of the Working 
Party (WT/ACC/SAU/61 and Add.1 and 2)  
 1. The Chairman
 said she wished to welcome, on behalf of all Members and observers, the 
delegation of Saudi Arabia, and recalled that in July 1993, the GATT Council had established a 
Working Party to examine the request by Saudi Ar abia for accession, which had subsequently been 
converted into a WTO Working Party.  The Report of the Working Party was now before the General 
Council for consideration and adoption in documents WT/ACC/SAU/61 and Add.1 and 2. 
2. Mr. Akram (Pakistan), Chairman of the Working Party , said he was honoured to present the 
report of the Working Party on the Accession of th e Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  Upon approval by the 
General Council, and 30 days after the signing of th e Protocol of Accession, Saudi Arabia was poised 
to become the 149th Member of the WTO.  This was indeed a momentous occasion both for Saudi 
Arabia and for the multilateral trading system.  The Saudi accession brought to the fold of the WTO a major global economic player and the largest petroleu m exporter in the world, with 25 per cent of the 
world's proven petroleum resources.  Saudi Arabia's membership in the WTO would unmistakably 
move the organization a step closer to being trul y global.  Most importantly, this meeting of the 
General Council, convened specifically to approve  Saudi Arabia's accession, signaled Members' 
common faith in the value of multilateralism to the global trading system.  It reflected their commitment, in line with the WTO charter, to a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and 
equitable multilateral trading system.  It was also a recognition of the important contribution that a 
fair global trading system could make in raising standards of living, eradicating hunger and poverty, 
generating employment and achieving internatio nally agreed development goals, including the 
Millennium development goals.  The event assumed even greater importance as Members were only 
weeks away from the Sixth Ministerial Conference. 
3. Saudi Arabia had first requested accession to  the GATT and subsequently to the WTO in 
June 1993.  The Working Party on its accession had been established in July 1993 and its first 
meeting had taken place on 2 May 1996, under hi s predecessor as Chairman, Mr. John Weekes 
(Canada).  He wished to thank Mr. Weekes fo r his outstanding stewardship and substantial 
contribution to the successful completion of this accession process.  His own appointment as Chair of 
the Working Party had been based, among other things, on a recognition of Pakistan's close and WT/GC/M/99 
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 fraternal ties with Saudi Arabia and its strong and abiding interest in the socio-economic development 
of the brotherly people of Saudi Arabia.  It  was common knowledge that the WTO accession process 
involved time-consuming and in-depth negotiations  on various aspects of a nation's internal and 
external trade and economic policies.  The pr ocess was particularly demanding for developing 
countries, given their lack of resources and technical expertise.  The seriousness of the challenge was 
further heightened by the sometimes excessive  demands made on acceding countries to accept 
obligations beyond those required by the WTO agreem ents.  With an economy as important in global 
terms as Saudi Arabia's, both the multilateral and b ilateral negotiations had been complex, detailed 
and time-consuming.  The accession process had lasted 12 years, second only to the 14 years for China's accession process.  He wished to pay tribute to the authorities of Saudi Arabia, and their team 
of devoted and committed negotiators, for displaying  great expertise and skill in this process.  The 
entire team had taken on the challenges of the accession process squarely and had met them boldly, 
rapidly and constructively, responding promptly to the numerous requests made by Members, some of these in the final stages of the negotiations.  Th e far-reaching domestic legislative measures taken by 
Saudi Arabia, including the enactment and implemen tation of WTO-consistent legislation, clearly 
demonstrated its determination to make a positive c ontribution to the global trading system by quickly 
joining the new rules-based system under the WT O.  The admirable work done by the Saudi 
authorities had helped in moving the process expe ditiously to its successful conclusion.  Most 
importantly, the successful conclusion of the accession  process was a singular tribute to the efficiency 
and performance of the Saudi Government.  Praise  and deep appreciation also went to the WTO 
membership, which had demonstrated the required flexibility and goodwill to conclude this accession 
process successfully and rapidly.  He congratulated all concerned, including the WTO Secretariat and 
its Accessions Division, for bringi ng this very important process to such a satisfactory conclusion. 
4. The results of the negotiations constituting the te rms of entry of Saudi Arabia into the WTO 
were contained in the following documents:  the report of the Working Party (WT/ACC/SAU/61), the Schedule of Concessions and Commitments in Goods  (WT/ACC/SAU/61/Add.1). and the Schedule of 
Specific Commitments in Services (WT/ACC/SAU/ 61/Add.2).  This accession package had been 
adopted by the Working Party at its meeting on 28 October 2005 on an ad referendum basis.  By this 
action, the Working Party had completed its manda te, and had then forwarded the documentation to 
the General Council for decision as appropriate.  The Appendix to the report reproduced the draft 
Decision for the General Council and the Protocol of Accession of Saudi Arabia to the Agreement 
Establishing the World Trade Organization.  In acco rdance with usual WTO practice, the Protocol of 
Accession incorporated, by reference, the specific commitments undertaken by Saudi Arabia in the 
report of the Working Party.  He again wished to  pay tribute to the con tinuous efforts, goodwill and 
spirit of compromise shown by all concerned.  In  the crucial final stages, the traditional spirit of 
pragmatism of the WTO had prevailed and had allowe d the Working Party to conclude its work.  The 
results achieved spoke for themselves.  All were c onfident that the accession of Saudi Arabia to the 
WTO would inject greater diversification and ne w dynamism into its economy and bring greater 
prosperity to its people.  This would also enab le Saudi Arabia to make a more meaningful and 
positive contribution to the global trading system.  He recommended the report of the Working Party, 
as well as the draft Decision and Protocol of A ccession, for approval and adoption by the General 
Council. 
5. The Chairman
 thanked Mr. Akram, on behalf of th e General Council, for having served as 
Chairman of the Working Party, for his stewardshi p of this process and for his efforts in working 
together with Members and the delegation of Saud i Arabia to steer the Working Party towards a 
successful conclusion of its mandate. 
6. The General Council then approved  the text of the draft Protocol of Accession of Saudi 
Arabia1 as contained in the report of the Working Part y and, in accordance with the Decision-Making 
                                                      
1 Subsequently circulated  in document WT/L/627.  WT/GC/M/99 
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 Procedures under Articles IX and XII of the WTO Agreement agreed in November 1995 (WT/L/93), 
adopted  the draft Decision on the Accession of Saudi Arab ia as contained in the report of the Working 
Party.2  The General Council next adopted  the report of the Working Party as a whole in documents 
WT/ACC/SAU/61 and Add.1 and 2. 
7. The Chairman  said it gave her great pleasure to welcome the Decision Members had just 
taken on the Accession of Saudi Arabia to the WTO.  This accession had involved long and 
complicated negotiations, but all would no doubt agree that the final package of terms and conditions 
of entry reflected the constructive spirit with which Members and Saudi Arabia had participated in the 
process.  She believed that Saudi Arabia's entr y into the WTO would once again clearly signal 
Members' willingness to move towards greater unive rsality in WTO membership and to increase the 
depth and diversity of the organization.  She wished  to congratulate the dele gation and Government of 
Saudi Arabia on the successful completion of the WT O accession process.  As had been noted by the 
Chair of the Working Party, 30 days after signature of  the Protocol of Accession, to be done in a few 
hours' time, Saudi Arabia would be on its way to becoming the 149th Member of the WTO, thus 
making it a full Member in time for the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference. 
8. The Director-General  said that this was indeed an histor ic day for Saudi Arabia and also for 
the WTO.  Like a number of other people in th e room – for example, Ms. Dwoskin of the United 
States delegation – he had personal reasons to be extremely happy about this accession.  There was no 
doubt that this was good news for Saudi Arabia, which had started – on the occasion of its WTO 
accession – a very bold process of reform.  On numerous occasions he had witnessed the work in 
progress that had led Saudi Arabia to the present stag e, including a few trips to that country.  Saudi 
Arabia's accession was also extremely good news for the WTO, as it was one more step in the 
direction of making the WTO truly a "World" Trade Organization.  This accession marked the end of 
many long years of negotiations and efforts by all.  He wished to congratulate all of the members of 
the Saudi team.  Although Arabic was not an official WTO language, he wished to say "mabrouk" – in English, "congratulations". 
9. All representatives who spoke congratulated Saudi Arabia on the conclusion of its WTO 
accession process and welcomed the Saudi delegation to the meeting.  Representatives also expressed 
their condolences, support and solidarity to Jordan  over the recent terrorist attacks in Amman 
10. The representative of Saudi Arabia
, speaking as an observer , expressed his delegation's 
gratitude to all for the adoption of his country's Prot ocol of Accession to the WTO.  The door had thus 
been opened for one of the largest free-market economies to become a WTO Member, bringing the 
organization closer to becoming universal.  His G overnment recognized that the WTO embodied the 
noble principles of the multilateral trading system which had contributed significantly to economic 
development.  It appreciated the role of the WTO as an organization dedicated to the expansion and 
liberalization of world trade and to elimination of  discrimination in trade relations.  Saudi Arabia 
shared the view that trade liberalization and strengthened rules would lead to a progressively more 
open world trading environment.  Saudi Arabia ha d long been familiar with the multilateral trading 
system, and for a long time had been following autonomously the principles and rules of this system in the formulation and conduct of its trade polic ies.  On the present occasion it reaffirmed its 
commitment to the rule-based system implemented by the WTO.  Saudi Arabia looked forward to occupying its seat as a WTO Member, and to workin g with other Members to strengthen and reinforce 
the WTO.  It also looked forward to working with developing countries to ensure that they secured an 
increasing share in international trade commensurate with the needs of their economic development.  
His country would work alongside others, especially de veloping countries, to strive for a more fair 
and equitable multilateral trading system, and woul d join hands with other Members for the early 
successful conclusion of the DDA negotiations.  It would participate as a Member in the Sixth 
                                                     
 
2 The Decision was subsequently circulated in document WT/L/627. WT/GC/M/99 
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 Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong and would co llaborate with others for the success of that 
Conference.  He again thanked the Chairman and Members for holding this meeting of the General 
Council to adopt the Saudi Protocol of Accession.  He also wished to thank especially the Chairmen 
of the Working Party and all of its Members. 
11. The representative of Jordan
, on behalf of the Arab Group , said the Arab Group had fully 
supported Saudi Arabia's accession process since its very beginning, took great pleasure in 
congratulating Saudi Arabia on the Decision just taken, and commended its efforts to meet the 
requests from Members in the process of aligning its trade regime with WTO provisions.  The Group also wished to thank the Chairman of the Worki ng Party, Mr. Akram, for his seriousness and the 
outstanding efforts he had exerted during the process of accession, in which his involvement had been 
a plus.  The long and arduous process of Saudi Ar abia's accession, which had started in 1993, had 
finally paid off.  It was crowned by introducing a new major economic power to the membership of 
this organization.  This was a testimony to the depth and diversity of the organization.  The many 
rounds of accession negotiations had led Saudi Arabia to enact legislation, laws and regulations 
consistent with the requirements of the relevant WTO Agreements, and with all trade liberalization 
aspects and economic openness.  These reforms would have a significant and positive impact on the 
reform of the trading regime in the Arab Group's region and would significantly contribute to its 
economic growth and development.  Jordan, as a r ecently acceded Member and one of Saudi Arabia's 
major trading partners, knew exactly how painfu l the process of accession was, and wished Saudi 
Arabia all success in the process of implementin g the extensive commit ments resulting from its 
bilateral, plurilateral and multila teral negotiations.  The Decision on Saudi Arabia's accession was 
historic for all Arab countries, as Saudi Arabia was an  important partner for all, and its membership in 
the WTO would enhance and strengthen the Arab Gr oup's participation in the WTO.  In addition, 
Saudi Arabia was also an important player in the Greater Arab Free Trade Area administered by the 
Arab League.  The Arab Group again congratulat ed Saudi Arabia and called on all Members to 
accelerate the process of accession for the many Arab countries in line for accession, in order to help 
foster trade liberalization in the region.  He noted that the Director General had used an Arabic word 
to congratulate Saudi Arabia, and expressed the hope that Arabic would become one of the official 
WTO languages. 
12. The representative of China
 thanked Saudi Arabia for its statem ent.  All agreed that this was 
an historic day for Saudi Arabia and for the WTO.  His delegation was delighted to see that after years 
of tremendous effort made by the Saudi Govern ment, as well as efforts from all Members and the 
Secretariat, the General Council had finally agreed on Saudi Arabia's accession at the present meeting.  
China warmly congratulated Saudi Arabia and th e Chairmen of the Working Party, whose great 
contribution to the process was greatly appreciated .  During the accession process, Saudi Arabia had 
made substantial commitments on both goods an d services, and had committed to bringing its 
domestic trading regime into conformity with WTO rules.  China deeply appreciated the strong 
determination and hard work of the Saudi delegation in that regard.  It also appreciated the work of 
the two Chairmen of the Working Party and the S ecretariat, whose respective guidance and efficient 
work had been very important to this success.  At this critical j uncture of the DDA negotiations, the 
accession of Saudi Arabia served as great encouragement to the WTO and its Members.  Saudi Arabia played an important role in world trade, particularly  in energy trade.  As a responsible member of the 
world community, Saudi Arabia had played a very  positive and constructive role in world energy 
trade.  Its accession to the WTO showed once again its strong belief in the multilateral trading system, 
and could inject new momentum into the ongoing negotiations.  China wished Saudi Arabia great 
prosperity and happiness for its people. 
13. The representative of Bahrain
, on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council Members3, 
associated these countries with the st atement by Jordan on behalf of the Arab Group.  The statement 
                                                      
3 Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.  WT/GC/M/99 
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 by the Chairman of the Working Party was an indi cation of the remarkable and positive steps taken by 
Saudi Arabia to finalize its accession process.  The k een interest and high degree of commitment and 
willingness shown by Saudi Arabia to join the WTO testified to its strong belief in global multilateral 
trade and cooperation.  As one of the largest economies outside the WTO, Saudi Arabia's WTO 
membership would benefit all and would contribute  to the consolidation and strengthening of the 
global multilateral system.  Members had been keen for Saudi Arabia's accession, as this strengthened 
the organization, and they had worked together ve ry positively and closely in this cause.  The Gulf 
Cooperation Council Members looked forward to seei ng Saudi Arabia participate in the Hong Kong 
Ministerial as a full a Member, and wished it all success and prosperity. 
14. The representative of Australia  thanked all who had contributed to the accession of Saudi 
Arabia.  Australia wholeheartedly endorsed the present Decision and looked forward to welcoming 
Saudi Arabia formally as a fully-fledged Member  at the forthcoming Hong Kong Ministerial.  
Australia had been a long-standing supporter of the accession of Saudi Arabia and had been one of the 
first countries to conclude bilateral market access nego tiations with it.  This reflected a strong trade 
and political relationship between the two countries,  and the important and growing commercial ties 
across a range of sectors.  Australia looked forwar d to working with Saudi Arabia in the WTO to 
promote mutual interests in global trade reform.  The commitments Saudi Arabia had made in the 
context of this high-quality accession package would promote greater certainty and opportunities for trade, as well as contribute importantly to the strength of the multilateral system itself.  Tariff bindings agreed by Saudi Arabia, especially in the all-important early chapters, meant that its 
accession package put it in good standing in any company. 
15. The representative of Djibouti
, on behalf of the LDCs , said that as all knew, Saudi Arabia was 
making a great contribution to the multilateral trad ing system, both economically and politically.  The 
LDCs had no doubt that under the General Council Chairman's leadership, other countries would be 
joining the WTO in the months following the Hong Kong Ministerial.  Saudi Arabia's accession was a 
cause for celebration, and the LDCs  wished to heartily welcome it into the WTO family.  Saudi 
Arabia would be able to make an  important contribution to techni cal assistance, which was another 
reason its accession was a very positive step. 
16. The representative of the European Communities  said that this was indeed an historic 
occasion for both the WTO membership and for Saudi Arabia.  It had been made possible through 
hard work, dedication, perseverance and a spirit of cooperation and friends hip.  All Members had 
made their contribution to this successful process, but  particular thanks were due to the Secretariat 
and the Chair of the Working Party, Mr. Akram.  Of  course, the real effort in an accession process fell 
on the acceding country itself, and his delegation wished to pay tribute to the Saudi Commerce 
Minister for the energy and determination he had in vested in pushing this process forward, and to the 
hard and dedicated work of his colleagues, particul arly the chief negotiator in the Saudi delegation.  
He also wished to thank the Government of Saudi Ar abia for the high priority it had attached to WTO 
membership.  Saudi Arabia had had to take importa nt and occasionally difficult political decisions to 
reach this point.  The Community was delighted that Saudi Arabia would be able to take its seat as a 
Member at the Hong Kong Ministerial and looke d forward to seeing the Saudi delegation there. 
17. The representative of Argentina,  on behalf of GRULAC , said that since the outset of the 
accession negotiations, the Saudi dele gation had done excellent work, and the outcome of that work 
could now be appreciated.  GRULAC was very gratef ul to the Chairmen of the Working Party, who 
had made a great contribution to the negotiations l eading to Saudi Arabia's membership at the present 
meeting.  The WTO was enriched by adding a new, relevant Member, representing the Arab 
communities.  Saudi Arabia had made a great cont ribution, and GRULAC was certain that it would 
continue to contribute to the international community.  These countries hoped that other Arab countries would follow Saudi Arabia's example.   The WTO was intended to be a universal 
organization.  The accession of Saudi Arabia was further proof of this.  It strengthened the WTO and WT/GC/M/99 
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 the multilateral system, and would make this orga nization even more diverse.  GRULAC wished 
Saudi Arabia every success in its  future work in the WTO. 
18. The representative of Egypt
, on behalf of the African Group , expressed the Group's pleasure 
in participating in this meeting which had been  convened specifically for the accession of Saudi 
Arabia, a country with which Egypt shared many common values, as well as deeply rooted historical 
bonds and excellent political and commercial relati ons developed over centuries.  The African Group 
wished to congratulate the Saudi delegation and the people of Saudi Arabia on their long awaited 
accession to the WTO, a process that had started more  than a decade earlier.  Throughout these years, 
Egypt and its African brethren had witnessed the Sa udi Government's dedication to joining the WTO 
and its sincere willingness to undertake the necess ary adjustments, including taking difficult and 
sometimes painful decisions, in order to satisfy  its accession requirements and prerequisites.  Saudi 
Arabia's clear engagement testified to its high de gree of commitment and political willingness to join 
the organization – political will that the membership  could only encourage, as all would benefit from 
this important trading partner's accession and its c ontribution to the consolidation and universality of 
the multilateral trading system all believed in .  The African Group had immense pleasure in 
welcoming this important economic a nd regional trading partner as the 149th Member, and wished 
Saudi Arabia every success. 
19. The representative of Japan  said that this was a long awaited day for Japan who, as a close 
friend of Saudi Arabia, had been the first country to conclude bilateral negotiations with it.  A 
Japanese proverb said that happiness was always bi gger when you waited longer, and Japan was truly 
happy to add a very valuable Member to the organization. 
20. The representative of India  said his delegation had worked closely with the Saudi negotiators 
to facilitate that country's accession and now looked fo rward to working with them in an even closer 
manner to further the objectives of the multilateral tr ading system.  Saudi Arabia was an important 
country that played a crucial role in the world trading system, and its accession to the WTO greatly 
strengthened the multilateral system.  India especially  looked forward to working with Saudi Arabia 
in the run-up to the Hong Kong Ministerial. 
21. The representative of Korea  said that this historic day had come after a truly long and 
demanding process, and Korea was certain that the process had helped Saudi Arabia's economic, trade 
and institutional adjustment to WTO rules  and its integration into the global trading system.  
Considering its stature in the world economy and trade, Saudi Arabia's membership in the WTO 
would certainly further strengthen the multilateral tr ading system and rules-based trade of the WTO, 
as well as enhance the universality of the organiza tion.  Considering that the Doha Round was at a 
critical juncture, Korea looked forward to Saudi Ar abia's active and constructive participation for a 
successful conclusion of the Round. 
22. The representative of Pakistan  said that Pakistan had always pushed for the process of 
accession, especially for developing countries, to be put on a fast track.  The process of accession for 
Saudi Arabia had taken a longer route.  It had been a long and arduous journey, and his delegation 
was happy for the Saudi Government and its peop le that the task had now been accomplished.  
Pakistan also wished to congratulate Saudi Arabia  on the enactment of WTO-consistent legislation 
which, in Pakistan's experience, was also a diffi cult task, as it involved difficult political decisions.  
Saudi Arabia had shown its commitment to the WTO by enacting such legislation. 
23. The representative of Tunisia  expressed his delegation's support for the statements by Jordan 
on behalf of the Arab Group and by Egypt on behalf of  the African Group.  This was an historic event 
for Saudi Arabia and also for the WTO.  Saudi Arabia's accession marked significant progress in the 
development of the multilateral trading system a nd strengthened the universality of the WTO.   
Tunisia hoped that Saudi Arabia's accession would allow it to strengthen its economic development  WT/GC/M/99 
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 and provide further prosperity for its people.  Tuni sia had supported Saudi Arabia from the first stage 
of its accession process, and hoped that its accession  would enhance the fruitful cooperation between 
their two countries in the context of the WTO, and al so on a bilateral and regional basis, with a view 
to brokering a fair system that would provide benefits for all. 
24. The representative of Chinese Taipei  said that Saudi Arabia's accession was a victory for the 
latter and also for the multilateral trading system. Th anks were due to the determination of the Saudi 
team led by its Minister of Commerce, to the Chair of the Working Party, and to the Secretariat, who 
had contributed to the completion of the Sa udi accession process.  Chinese Taipei, as the 144th 
Member of the WTO, welcomed Saudi Arabia as another newly acceded Member, and also welcomed it to the Hong Kong Ministerial. 
25. The representative of Morocco
 said his delegation wished to add its voice to the statement by 
Jordan on behalf of the Arab group.  Morocco had always supported Saudi  Arabia during its long 
accession process, and commended the colossal efforts it had made during this process, with the many 
multilateral sessions which had taken place, and the even larger number of bilateral meetings.  
Morocco also appreciated the institutional and regul atory reforms carried out by Saudi Arabia, many 
of which had brought its legislation in line with WT O rules.  His delegation also paid tribute to the 
work of the Saudi Government to promote the mu ltilateral trading system.  Saudi Arabia was well 
known for its liberal economy, and its accession would be nefit all.  His delegation was ready to work 
with the Saudi delegation multilaterally within the WTO, in order to develop their relationships 
bilaterally, and to strengthen the fruitful coope ration that existed between the two countries. 
26. The representative of Norway  thanked Saudi Arabia for its statement.  As one of the major 
economies of the world, Saudi Arabia had its natura l place in the WTO.  Norw ay was convinced that 
its accession would be beneficial both to Saudi Arab ia as well as to the organization.  Norway had 
excellent bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia, and was certain to c ontinue and strengthen its bilateral 
relationship and economic c ooperation now that Saudi Arabia was a WTO Member. 
27. The representative of the United States  said that when US President Bush and the then crown 
Prince, now King Abdullah, of Saudi Arabia, had me t in Crawford, Texas in 2004, the President had 
spoken at length of the importance of the two co untries' economic partnership and their deep and 
abiding friendship.  One of their common objec tives had been to ensure the completion of 
negotiations for Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO before the end of 2005.  The United States was 
extremely pleased that Saudi Arabia had achieved this, with a solid agreement that would help 
integrate Saudi Arabia into the global economy.  One was already seeing benefits of Saudi Arabia's 
membership in the creation of a cadre of trade po licy professionals in the country who were working 
on the various agreements.  Many of these team me mbers were in the General Council at the present 
meeting, and his delegation warmly  welcomed them.  This was a special moment for many who had 
worked personally on the negotiations, and he wished  to thank the Director-General for recognizing 
the contribution that his colleague Ms. Dwoskin had made.  Members had achieved a good, solid 
commercial agreement that would be of benefit to Saudi Arabia and to all Members.  His delegation 
joined others in congratulating the team from Saudi Ar abia for their efforts.  Special thanks also went 
to the indefatigable chief negotiator for Saudi Arabia, who had worked tirelessly to secure this 
important accomplishment.  He also wished to tha nk the two Chairs of the Working Party, and most 
importantly the Secretariat members who had wo rked so hard to bring about this success. 
28. The representative of the Dominican Republic  said his delegation was convinced that it would 
benefit all Members to have this new Member of th e organization.  That Saudi Arabia had undertaken 
important trade commitments was clear in the qua lity of its Schedules for goods and services, as well 
as the economic and legislative reforms the country  had carried out in its accession process.  His 
delegation wished to congratulate Saudi Arabia's technical team that had worked on this process, WT/GC/M/99 
Page 8  
 
 headed by its chief negotiator, and to pay tribut e to the members of the Secretariat who had been 
involved in this process. 
29. The representative of Paraguay,
 on behalf of the Informal Group of Developing Countries , 
thanked the Chairs of the Working Party on th e accession of Saudi Arabia, who had worked with 
Members in the post-Uruguay stage of this accession pr ocess.  He also thanked the Secretariat for the 
work it had carried out to enable this accession to ta ke place.  The Informal Group was convinced that 
the participation of Saudi Arabia in the work  of the WTO would contribute positively to the 
achievement of Members' objectives in establishing fair  standards and rules for world trade that were 
respected by all.  These countries were convinced also that the implementation of WTO rules would 
have a healthy effect on the development Saudi Arab ia's trade.  The Informal Group trusted that the 
participation of a country that was economically strong and prosperous, as was Saudi Arabia, would 
enable Members to channel technical cooperation and effective support to developing countries who 
were in less favourable conditions, so that t hose countries could better integrate into the 21st century's 
globalized economy.  The Informal Group wished to  underscore the importance of Saudi Arabia's 
accession to the WTO as an important step toward s universality.  This clearly showed that the 
organization was on the right path towards the sear ch for peace and prosperity for all peoples of the 
world.  The Informal Group wished Saudi Arabia  all success in its participation as a fully-fledged 
Member of the organization. 
30. The representative of Thailand , on behalf of the ASEAN Members , said that during the past 
few months, a lot of work had been carried out by Saudi Arabia in continuation of the many years of hard work in which it had been constructively enga ged in its accession process.  This hard work had 
borne fruit, and the ASEAN Members commended Saudi Arabia for its efforts and looked forward to 
working closely with it as a full Member.  Saudi Arabia was a vital trading partner of ASEAN in the Middle East and a crucial player in the global trading landscape.  The ASEAN Members had been very supportive of Saudi Arabia's efforts in the WTO accession process and eagerly awaited 
welcoming it as a full Member of the WTO in th e coming weeks.  As one of the world's largest 
economies that had yet to join the WTO, Saudi Ar abia's accession was a significant step towards 
making the WTO a truly representative global trade or ganization.  Needless to say, it would also 
enable Saudi Arabia to reap the benefits of a rules-based multilateral trading system.  With the 
Working Party's adoption of the complete packag e of Saudi Arabia's accession documents on an ad 
referendum  basis, the ASEAN Members were pleased to be  present for this final step in formalizing 
Saudi Arabia's membership in the WTO, and looked forward to seeing Saudi Arabia take part in the 
Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong as a Member. 
31. The representative of Burkina Faso
 said his delegation endorsed the statement by Egypt on 
behalf of the African Group and by Djibouti on be half of the LDCs.  Burkina Faso had excellent 
economic and political relationships with Saudi Arab ia which played an important role within the 
Islamic Conference, in which Burk ina Faso was a member.  His delegation was convinced that this 
accession would contribute to a better integration of Saudi Arabia into the multilateral trading system 
and would give an impetus to the operation of the organization. 
32. The representative of Senegal  said his delegation wished to congratulate the Working Party 
and Mr. Akram, as well as the Secretariat, for the qua lity of the work carried out in the context of this 
accession.  Since 1993, when the request by Saudi Arab ia had been made, this country had shown – in 
an on-going fashion and despite the length and complexity of the accession process – its 
determination and its commitment to become a fully -fledged Member, thus c ontributing to enhancing 
the multilateral trading system.  Saudi Arabia was an  important player in the trading system, and the 
WTO could be pleased at this accession, which testifie d to the universality of the WTO.  He reiterated 
the availability and readiness of his delegation to wo rk in close cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the 
WTO to achieve their common objectives, and welcomed  the participation of Saudi Arabia as a fully-
fledged Member at the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference.  WT/GC/M/99 
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 33. The representative of Cuba  added her delegation's voice to the statements by Paraguay on 
behalf of the Informal Group of Developing Count ries and by Argentina on behalf of GRULAC.  
From the outset of this accession process, Cuba had supported the rapid accession of Saudi Arabia to the WTO and was aware of the fact that the effo rts this country had made over the past 10 years 
demonstrated clearly its commitment to the multilatera l trading system.  Her delegation also wished to 
congratulate the Chairman of the Working Party.  Cuba and Saudi Arabia ha d bilateral relations of 
mutual cooperation, and her delega tion understood that Saudi Arabia 's accession would contribute to 
enhancing those relations.  Cuba was deli ghted to see Saudi Arabia accede as the 149
th Member of the 
organization and congratulated its Commerce Minister for the relationship forged with Cuba during its 
bilateral negotiations with Saudi Arabia.  Cuba trusted that this  new Member would contribute to 
making the WTO more universal. 
34. The representative of Mauritania  endorsed the statements by Jordan on behalf of the Arab 
Group and by Egypt on behalf of the African Group.  This was an historic moment for Saudi Arabia, its people and its Government, and also an histor ic moment for the WTO, which was taking in a 
market economy that had previously been outside th e WTO.  Saudi Arabia was a major player in the 
world trading system.  Its accession was the resu lt of a long and arduous process during which the 
Saudi Government had demonstrated a great de al of good will and cooperative spirit.  It had 
undertaken sweeping structural reforms, and Saudi la ws had been brought into line with WTO rules.  
Saudi Arabia deserved Members' heartiest congratula tions on its efforts.  His delegation had no doubt 
that Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO would  ha ve a major impact, not onl y for Saudi Arabia, but 
for all of the Arab world and the multilateral trading system. 
35.  The representative of Bangladesh
 thanked Saudi Arabia's Commerce Minister for his untiring 
efforts, as well as the Chair of the Working Party.   Bangladesh looked forward to welcoming Saudi 
Arabia at the Hong Kong Ministerial as the 149th Member of the WTO.  Saudi Arabia was a great 
trading nation, and his delegation hoped that the WT O would benefit by its inclusion as a Member.   
36. The representative of Jamaica  supported the statements by Argentina on behalf of GRULAC 
and by Paraguay on behalf of the Informal Group of Developing Countries.  Jamaica was confident 
that the enormous effort made by Saudi Arabia  in meeting the requirements of WTO membership 
would be rewarded by the benefits of participa tion in a rules-based multilateral trading system.  
Jamaica's appreciation extended to all who had c ontributed to the successful outcome of Saudi 
Arabia's accession proceedings, particularly to the Chairmen of the Working Party. 
37. The representative of Canada  also wished to be placed on record as extending Canada's 
congratulations and best wishes to Saudi Arabia  as the latter took its final steps towards WTO 
membership.  In looking to this imminent accession, Canada saw many benefits both for Saudi Arabia 
and for all Members of the organization.  Canada  had already seen that the commitments undertaken 
by Saudi Arabia to open its economy and adopt inte rnational standards had made it a more attractive 
place to do business.  Canada was confident that membership in the WTO would make a critical 
contribution to Saudi Arabia's e fforts to invigorate its private sector, diversify its economy and 
provide more jobs for a growing workforce.  Ca nada looked forward to widening and deepening its 
trading relationship with Saudi Arabia and to wo rking with it as a WTO partner in the years ahead. 
38. The representative of Jordan  thanked delegations who had expressed their condolences, 
support and solidarity to Jordan over the recent terr orist attacks in Amman.  This kind of support 
meant that Members were united – and that the wo rld was united – against terrorism, which had no 
borders.  Jordan would, as always, stand very  firm in fighting terrorism and terrorists. 
39. The Chairman  said she looked forward to welcoming Saudi Arabia as a Member, and that 
while coming on board did not always guarantee a smoot h ride, it promised to be a very interesting 
and mostly very productive one. WT/GC/M/99 
Page 10  
 
 40. The General Council took note
 of the statements and of the expressions of welcome and 
support. 
 
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